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TRP: Mishka, Pride, and Sam (Mishka Meets Pride)
IZZY Day 372, evening. After returning Goro to Hansel, Sam went back down to the dining room. He realized that Goro had left his dice on the table, and paused for a moment before deciding to go sit at the same table -- putting his back to the wall this time -- and start idly putting them through comparison tests to see if any of them were weighted. He kept an eye on the dining hall at large, waiting. COYOTE Mishka spent most of the day fucking around Patch Island. Mishka fucking loved Patch Island-- and he hadn't seen anyone here in going on three years. It was interesting, coming back and seeing how people had changed, where their lives had gone. Who was dead. Who was alive. Who was missing a leg. That kind've thing. He figured they'd leave the next day, so he went back to the inn. Ought to get some sleep. Before he stepped inside, he flicked on his mask and changed his appearance (black hair, dark eyes, olive skin, freckles)-- his usual palette change for when he didn't want to look like himself. He was wary of people seeing him in this specific inn while they were staying here. Felt risky. Then he stepped inside, did his usual cursory check around, and he saw Sam sitting at a table in the back. "Huh," Mishka said out loud, and walked straight towards him. IZZY Sam saw the stranger, and ignored him. COYOTE Mishka sat down across from Sam. "Mishka," he said briefly by way of explanation, gesturing at himself. It occurred to him a second too late that maybe he ought've introduced himself first and then asked if Sam wanted his company instead of just assuming that, well, everyone wanted Mishka's company. He was in too deep now to back out, though, so he kicked up his feet on the seat next to Sam and hailed down the waitress. IZZY Sam narrowed his eyes at first, his expression darkening, but he relaxed, blinking a bit when Mishka said his name. He quietly toyed with a die while the waitress wound her way over to the table. COYOTE "Just wine," Mishka said to the waitress. "Black cherry merlot if you have it." He glanced at Sam, eyebrows raised. IZZY Sam half raised a hand to wave it off. "I'm good." A little self-consciously, he rubbed at the inside of his elbow, and nodded to Mishka once the waitress had gone. "I'm assuming you've talked to Goro." COYOTE Mishka's eyes wandered to where Sam was scratching, but didn't comment. He seemed fine. "Aye. Did you sleep?" IZZY "Yeah." COYOTE Mishka narrowed his eyes briefly. "Did you know that Goro and I are business partners?" It felt like a trick. Too much of a coincidence. Seemed... weird, that this demon who wanted to make a deal with Goro was also cozying up to his loved ones. Maybe the demon had watched him and played on his soft nature. Maybe. Maybe. It gave him that-- skittish feeling he got. IZZY "I do now," he said, clearly uncomfortable. "I didn't when I met you." COYOTE "... Oh." Mishka's face went slack, and he leaned back. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh." IZZY Sam was quiet, looking down at the table. After a moment, he reluctantly said, "I don't know if that changes anything." COYOTE "Sorry. Sorry. I just," Mishka said, then realized he wanted to pinch his wrist and shook out his hand instead. "I wondered if you sort've... ran into me on purpose, or something. Y'know. Wanted something from... me, or from Goro, or from Joan, or our various other allies, so maybe it was useful to... cozy up to me. Paranoid. Sorry. I'm-- like that." IZZY "I didn't even know who you were," Sam commented. "Even when I saw your real face. You told me your name was Mishka Bell." He hesitated. "I'm not trying to sound ... fucking accusatory or anything. Fakes names and faces. It makes sense." COYOTE Mishka blinked. Then he said, "Oh. I mean-- that's not--" He paused. "Um, my name's Mikhail Haeth, but I try not to use that one anymore because, ah, I'm sort've trying to duck a few death penalties in a couple places. Mikhail Haeth-- Mishka Haeth-- is my business name, y'know, when I'm getting political with people or robbing ships. Mishka Bell is what my friends call me." IZZY Sam didn't say anything for a moment, then softly said, "Oh." COYOTE "Your name is Sam Obsidia? That's fucking badass." IZZY He nodded, opened his mouth, and closed it. "It's short for Samwell," he offered. "Not fucking badass at all." COYOTE "That's terrible. What if I tell people that? Why tell me? That's practically blackmail material, Samwell." IZZY Sam blinked at him, looking puzzled. COYOTE “What?” Mishka said. The waitress returned with a bottle of wine. “You okay, Sam?” IZZY He drummed his fingers on the table and glanced around, waiting for the waitress to leave. "This is fine, then?" he asked doubtfully. "The whole ... demon ... made a deal with your friend ... thing. Doesn't change shit. For you. And me." Each little bit of what he was saying came out haltingly, like he wasn't sure he wanted to string it all together. COYOTE Mishka rubbed his face, trying very hard not to smile or look too excited about the whole ‘demon’ thing. “No. It doesn’t change anything. I mean I— am curious, but— I’m trying not to be weird, sorry.” He downed the wine. IZZY Sam still looked wary, but he relaxed a bit. "Curious. Curious is fine," he said. "I can handle curious." COYOTE “So,” Mishka said slowly, trying to work this out aloud. “You met a demon... in your past lives... and you’re in love now... and you see him in your dreams... and that’s why you were upset last night. Because you wanted to see him.” Huh. Those looked like Goro’s dice. IZZY "Yeah. That about covers it." He said it carefully, watching Mishka. COYOTE Well, that all made perfect sense to Mishka. Pretty reasonable, actually. “Understandable,” Mishka said. He took another drink. “Sorry if I’m over-interested in it. I know you probably don’t want to be, y’know, fucking scrutinized about it. It’s just— neat.” It made him think of Hansel, and— the way some people didn’t like Mishka and Hansel being together. The way some people called Hansel a monster and a beast, and Mishka didn’t like that. Wasn’t fucking true. Mishka would fucking skin anybody who treated his husband that way. “He’s a good demon, though?” Mishka was just checking. Wanted to affirm. “I mean, I assume demons can be good just like people. Just... checking.” IZZY "He wants to make things better," Sam said quietly. "Mostly he just -- wants us to be together. And me to be safe. He's good." COYOTE “I can help with that.” IZZY "I know you said that you would." He drummed his fingers on the table again, glancing off to one side. This didn't seem to be going the way he had expected it to. "I didn't want to ask. I thought ... y'know. The demon thing. And all." COYOTE Mishka sat back, thinking for a moment. He drank more wine. It... sounded... good. And he liked Sam. Just had this strong good feeling that... Sam had good judgment, and he was powerful, and he wouldn’t like this demon unless he had a good reason. Mishka was really sick of the way the world was. It was just too harsh, too fucked-up, too... disorderly. He always sort’ve wondered if it was always like this or if it was better before the apocalypse. The idea of allying with someone more powerful than he was, someone who wanted to make the world a better place, was really fucking tempting— and Mishka felt like Sam actually meant it, like maybe this was good. Sure, a demon was unconventional, but Mishka liked unconventional. Maybe sometimes things were just good. Maybe sometimes things were just what they looked like. That would be nice. “Are you sure?” Mishka said. “That he’s good. Because if you are sure... then yes, I’d like to help.” IZZY "I'm sure," Sam said. COYOTE Mishka offered his hand to shake. “Then we’re good, my friend.” IZZY Still seeming like he didn't quite believe it, Sam gripped Mishka's hand. COYOTE Sam’s hand was callused in the places he held his quarterstaff. Mishka held on for a moment, then let go. IZZY Sam sat back and drummed his fingers on the table again. He glanced at the wine. "Last time I tried to get help, they threw me in an asylum," he blurted. "So. You know." COYOTE Mishka laughed, but turned it into a snort. “Well, to be fair. It’s unconventional. I believe it, but... I mean, I’ve seen weirder shit.” Plus— Sam did fit the bill for a dangerous man with delusions. No home. No family. Sleeping on the ground outside. But Goro has seen the demon. Talked to it. And Goro, as far as Mishka was concerned, was infallible. Then he glanced at Sam, feeling guilty for laughing. “You were— in an asylum? For how long? I’m sorry.” IZZY He shrugged a shoulder, looking at the table. "A few years. It doesn't matter." COYOTE Mishka’s skin crawled when he thought about it. Being held down, no where to go, stuck inside a prison full of other people— not able to block out the sound of other patients, unable to stop the doctors from touching him or grabbing him. Pumped full of drugs, or whatever treatments they were trying, or simply locked in a room and forgotten. Mishka fidgeted, pinching his wrist, looking askance. “Are you— okay?” IZZY He shrugged again and looked up, shaking it off a bit. "I learned my lesson about telling the wrong people the wrong things or asking for help." COYOTE Mishka couldn’t say anything. Just nodded. He thought about Aleksei, and trusting him, and then— Aleksei hurting Hansel, and then Goro, and maybe more people Mishka didn’t even know about, and then— cutting out his tongue, and killing him over, and over, and over, until his blood had seeped into Mishka’s pores and his body reeked like iron. Mishka picked at his fingernails, which were getting sore about around the edges. They still didn’t feel clean. All because Aleksei knew too much, got too close, and they’d never be safe unless he was all the way dead. Mishka had never wanted that. Never wanted any of that. Had only wanted Aleksei to go away, and he wouldn’t. That was what happened when you trusted the wrong people. “I get you,” Mishka said. “I— get that.” Then, “I’m not gonna hurt you or think you’re crazy.” IZZY Sam studied him for a long moment, glancing down and then back up. "I believe you," he said finally. COYOTE Mishka offered him the bottle of wine. IZZY He waved it off, like he had the whiskey the previous night. COYOTE “White Sky but not wine?” Mishka said, amused. (Just checking. Wanted to know how much Sam used. Knew it wasn’t his business, was nosy.) IZZY He looked a little sheepish. "It's only when I need to see him, and I can't sleep." COYOTE “Oh.” Mishka tried not to looked relieved. Fucking stupid to care about it. Just... bugged him. “Hey. About— Goro. And that contract.” IZZY "Mm." He went back to toying with the dice idly. COYOTE “Your demon scared the shit out of him,” Mishka said. He felt kind’ve pissed about it, but he wasn’t sure who he was pissed at. Sam? The demon? Himself? Goro? It was a fucking mystery. He should’ve gone with and been there with Goro; they were more likely to make mistakes apart, and Mishka could’ve helped, could’ve been a buffer. He wished— keenly— that Goro had waited, had taken him. Maybe he was pissed at Goro. Not that Goro has done anything wrong— he’d wanted the scroll, probably been desperate to save Hansel. Willing to make mistakes and put his life on the line... yeah, that sounded like Goro. But Mishka wanted to shake him and snap I would’ve gone with, or I would’ve helped you. Mishka could have protected him and made him less scared, maybe. Mishka realized he was staring angrily into space and took another drink of wine to relax. IZZY Sam scowled a bit. "I guess." He flipped a die over, landing it on six. "It's a fucking mystery why. Honestly. I don't know." COYOTE Mishka made a grouchy noise and finished off the bottle. “Well. It’s not your fault. I’m just pissed about it.” He rubbed his wrist. “Goro can be a dick sometimes, but he doesn’t deserve to be scared.” They were all dicks, actually. Mishka briefly wondered why all his loved ones were like that, then became uncomfortable with the fact he’d gotten attached to so many people, then decided to stop thinking about it. IZZY "No one was trying to scare him," Sam grumbled. He flipped another die a couple times, over to six. COYOTE “Mm. Maybe I’ll go with next time. It might just be the whole deal-with-a-demon thing.” He supposed he could ask Goro, but he didn’t want Goro to think he cared or was doing something about it. “There was this thing that happened a while back,” Mishka said. “Goro made a deal with this... thing... called Diva, and it took over his body and, ah— caused some problems. It used his body to... infect me, and infect Joan with this— parasitism. Hivemind, it called itself. Used our bodies as hosts. Couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, just had to do as it said. It got him, later, too. As a host. And...” Mishka rubbed his arm. “He tried to protect the people he cared about, but it didn’t work out, because he left Joan off the list by mistake, and... left me off because we weren’t friends yet.” Mishka averted his eyes. IZZY Sam nodded. "The Glutton." He looked up from the dice, frowning. "Do you not --." He hesitated, then said it anyway. "You should know. My partner, he's the same kind of thing as Diva. Kind of. He's Pride. But he's not -- like that," he added quickly, haltingly, looking at Mishka warily. COYOTE Mishka’s spine prickled. “Mm. Yes, Goro told me.” He shuddered, rubbing his wrist again. “He can’t— do the same hivemind thing, can he? He can’t make people into hosts? Or is he like that, too?” IZZY Sam shook his head. "He doesn't do that." COYOTE “Can’t or doesn’t?” IZZY "Can't," Sam said firmly. "Wouldn't anyway." He hesitated. "Do you ... want to meet him? I met your husband. Hansel. With Goro." COYOTE Mishka hesitated. Rubbed the back of his neck. Felt twitchy, nervous. He thought about being alone with that thing— with Pride— and wondered if it’d be like being alone with Diva. If it’d feel the same way. If this was all a trick, somehow, somehow, and that thing was going to attack him. And then he thought about Hansel saying, I’m going to get that thing out of you. Hansel would always come and get him. He was Mishka’s anchor. He could take this risk. It’d be okay. Besides, he— didn’t think there was anything wrong with Pride, not really. It was just paranoia. Itchiness. At the thought of getting near one of Diva’s relatives again. “Yes,” Mishka said. “Yes, I want to meet him.” IZZY Sam flipped another die to six. "He can only talk when someone's close to the caul. Asleep, or dying. So ... tonight?" COYOTE “Sure. Tonight.” IZZY Sam nodded. His jaw worked a bit as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. "It's fine if you don't like him." COYOTE “What, is he not likable?” IZZY He half-shrugged, and mumbled, "I think he's likable. People have different opinions." COYOTE “Did you like Hansel? He’s a dick, but I love him,” Mishka said, amused. “He’s been smashing up bars and getting into fights since he got here.” Mishka had been helping. Admittedly he may have even caused some of the wild fistfights, but, well, it wasn’t his fault he liked to cheat at cards and Hansel liked to defend his honor. Admittedly, he may have let some of that cheating get pretty obvious on purpose— which Hansel probably knew— because there was something delightful about getting into a barfight with Hansel at his back— but still. He liked making eye contact with the person across the table, deliberately letting a card slip out of his sleeve, and silently daring them to say something. He liked the way their eyes darted between him and Hansel. IZZY He flicked another die over, arranging them into a square. "I only met him for a minute." COYOTE “Are you okay? I’m sure I’ll like your partner. And even if I don’t, it’s fine,” Mishka said. Was Sam worried Pride wouldn’t like Mishka? Mysterious. IZZY "So it's all right," Sam said, all cagey, like it was a hypothetical, "if I don't like Hansel." COYOTE “You don’t have to like Hansel. You’re allowed to be wrong about things. I forgive you.” IZZY Sam cracked a smile and snorted. COYOTE “You might have to know him better.” Mishka lounged more comfortably against the seat, eyes at half-mast. “He’s all... soft, when he’s around the right people, and... y’know, the type that feeds stray alley cats, and... he’s always right there, wants to have other people’s backs... wants to do the right thing, even if he’s not always sure what that is, sometimes, and...” Mishka sighed contentedly. “Well. That sort of thing.” He mused out loud to himself. “It’s fine if you don’t like him, though. You said you don’t like people, much.” IZZY He kept smiling a bit, looking down at the dice and toying with them. "Like I said. I only met him for a moment. Snap judgement. Sounds ... better, the way you talk about him." He looked up. "Did you tell me how long you two have been together?" COYOTE “Mm. Well, we met ten years ago. Then he spent approximately a millennia gaining my trust and flirting with me while I skittered away. Then we dated a bit, maybe three years... then we got married around Candlenights...” Mishka trailed off. “Married for about a year, after that.” Total, now. Mishka didn’t want to— talk about the gap. IZZY Sam raised his eyebrows a little. "Ten years is a good run. That's a lot. For an orc, especially." He scooped the dice up and rattled them in his hand. "I was an orc, the first time I met Aziz. Dying, already. He wanted to save my life, and I wouldn't let him. I guess it took me another lifetime to trust him." COYOTE “That’s sweet. Mm. Well, sometimes things that are worthwhile take a while to do right.” IZZY "Yeah." He looked a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess that's what he thought." COYOTE “So what’s your deal? Monogamous, or what?” IZZY Sam blinked at him, taken aback. "What?" COYOTE Mishka waggled his eyebrows and did not clarify. IZZY Sam shifted uncomfortably and glanced away. COYOTE Mishka’s face dropped. “Oh, I’m sorry. Not funny? I wasn’t trying to, um.” He wasn’t sure how to say: My husband fucks around, but I don’t, because I’m broken and weird and don’t want to, but I flirt with people, still, because I think it’s funny. That felt like oversharing. IZZY "Yeah," Sam said, a bit flatly. He poured the dice back out onto the table. "Not funny. Not interested." COYOTE Mishka noticed the way Sam was tense, the way his voice had gone flat, and thought about the way Sam jerked away from him that morning in the woods, and the way Sam shot him down the first time he came over to flirt as a servant at Calann’s estate. Asexual, then, or disinterested, or monogamous. Or some version of straight. Or just not interested in Mishka, in particular. Mishka measured his words a moment. He didn’t want to dwell on it, but he figured it might put Sam at ease to know what was going on. “My husband fucks around, but I don’t. You don’t have to worry about that from me. I’m, um. Well. Touchy. I like to flirt with people, though. It’s a... habit. Sorry. I’ll stop.” IZZY Sam looked back at Mishka, brows drawn together a bit, clearly puzzled. He took a second to process what Mishka had said, then slowly responded with, "Oh." He paused to think more. "Uh, all right." COYOTE “I don’t know what to do now. I’ve literally never had this conversation before.” IZZY "Yeah, no," he said. "Me neither. Normally I just fuck off." COYOTE “Normally I just keep going until the other person tries to sleep with me and then I sort’ve skitter back.” It occurred to Mishka, briefly, that that was a dick move. Was he being a dick to people by pretending to flirt with them? Huh. IZZY Sam narrowed his eyes. "That seems like a bad strategy." COYOTE “Yeah, no, you’ve got me there.” IZZY "Huh." COYOTE “What?” IZZY He toyed with the dice, looking uncomfortable. "I mean ... The hell is the point of flirting with someone if you're not trying to fuck them?" COYOTE “I don’t know,” Mishka admitted. “I mean... I mainly did it to Hansel, and I did want to fuck him, I just—“ He gestured. “Y’know. Skittish. I kept looking at him and thinking, God, I wanna hit that, and then he’d come onto me back, and then I’d think, Oh god wait oh no. That man has the patience of a saint.” He didn’t think any of this was helping Sam. IZZY "Oh. Hm." He mulled that over. "Fair." COYOTE “Other times it’s just fun, I guess. Or I want something out of them...” He trailed off guiltily, then added, “Sorry. That was, um, why I was doing it the first time. At Calann’s estate. People are usually like you more and are more open with you if they think you find them attractive. Then you just sort’ve walked off, which has never happened before, and I thought, Ah, maybe don’t do that. And then forgot, apparently.” IZZY "Yeah," he said a little reluctantly. "I mean, I used to do it -- I used to peddle this snake oil, in Skyport. Before Aziz. And I'd flatter people. But I didn't enjoy it, it was just scheme. So once I didn't have to do it anymore ..." He shrugged. COYOTE Mishka put his napkin in his lap, and, very methodically, started tearing it into small, even pieces. “Hey. How often do you see Aziz?” IZZY "Sometimes every night. Sometimes I can't ... sleep, though. For a few days." He shifted, squinting a bit thoughtfully. "You know, when you dream, you're not really resting. You're asleep, but your mind is still active, right? So your body rests, but your mind doesn't. And -- I want to spend time with him, I want ..." He lowered to a mumble. "I want to spend all my time with him." He cleared his throat. "But -- I can't. As long as he's there and I'm here. Because I still have to rest my mind, sometimes. I can sleep, in the dream, and it's ... like I'm sleeping with him. It's better. I'd just ... rather be awake in it, and be with him while I can." COYOTE “Oh.” Mishka’s gut twisted painfully. He couldn’t imagine that happening to him and Hansel. It sounded like torture. “I’m sorry, Sam. Well. We’re going to bring him over here with you. The world can get better. You’ve done well, hanging on.” Fifteen years, Mishka thought. Fifteen years of struggling to bring his partner over to this side. IZZY He played with the dice. "Thanks. For. Y'know. That." He scoffed and looked down, then back up. "Thanks for saying that, I mean. And for helping." COYOTE “Mm. Hey,” Mishka said. “Y’know, Goro has a pair of dice just like that.” IZZY "Oh, yeah. They're his. He ran off without them earlier." He considered for a moment. "I mean. I ran him off without them, I guess. He was upset. He needed his partner." COYOTE “Huh.” Mishka would ask him, later, what had happened, if he wanted to talk about it. He plucked the dice out of Sam’s hand and pocketed them. — Mishka dreamed about the sea again that night. He dreamed he lay at the bottom of the ocean, and an undead lich-woman’s hand grabbed his ankle and pulled him down beneath the sand, and he lay there in the dark and silence for centuries while the ocean above him slowly turned to solid ice. IZZY The sand turned warm, and the ocean drained, until there was light and Mishka could breathe again. A taloned hand gripped his shoulder, delicately. Then he was in a room -- dry and balmy, lying on a monochrome chaise lounge with black lacquered wood and soft, plush white cushioning. The rest of the room followed a similar aesthetic -- white marble flooring with pronounced black veins, a black wooden canopy bed with gauzy, sheer black curtain; more of the same framing the open double doors, which let out onto a balcony. An evening -- maybe dawn -- sky was visible beyond, pierced by bright golden stars. Directly across from the lounge Mishka woke on, there was an identical lounge. On it sat Aziz. He appeared to be a somewhat diminutive tiefling -- about five and a half feet tall, with horns that curls back along his head and only gave him an extra couple of inches. His eyes had black sclera and pupils, with bands of yellow-gold iris fixed on Mishka with some curiosity. Black hair, braided over his shoulder and laced through with small white flowers, and pale blue skin. He was well-dressed, with a vest and jacket and white spats buttoned around his ankles, above his cloven hooves. He looked comfortable, with one elbow cocked back to rest on the back of the lounge, the hand dangling -- he wore gold rings on every finger but one. He regarded Mishka, his head tilted slightly. From somewhere distant, quiet lyre music drifted in. COYOTE Mishka pointed at him. “Aziz?” IZZY One leg was cross over the other, and that hoof bounced idly. "Indeed." COYOTE Mishka gestured at himself. “Mishka.” IZZY "Oh, yes, I'm aware." COYOTE Mishka said nothing, just watched him curiously. The room was lovely, and he couldn’t help but like it— and the demon was nice, too. Not... threatening or unthreatening. In fact, he seemed completely impartial to Mishka’s presence. He wondered, briefly, why that was. Sometimes when Mishka was alone with someone he didn’t have a bead on, he remained impartial and cool, at first, to see how they’d react, to see how they thought of him. Let them set the tone. He wondered if that’s what Aziz was doing. Mishka curled himself securely on the lounge. He felt tense, but he made himself look relaxed, arranging his limbs just so. He felt naked without his mask in front of this man. “I admit, now that I’m here, I’m unsure of what to say. You are a demon? I’m not sure what I expected you to look like.” IZZY "No?" He lifted his eyebrows, lip curling a little in amusement. "Tieflings have demon blood. I thought it was the more reasonable form to assume." He shifted to put both hooves onto the floor, the click muffled by a gray rug. "It's how I appeared when I was, briefly, in your world. It puts some people more at ease than my true form." COYOTE “It’s lovelier than I expected, is all.” IZZY "Mm. Thank you." COYOTE Mishka felt unsettled. The demon was watching him. He quieted, quelling his desire to speak and keep the conversation going, and let the silence linger. IZZY Aziz let the quiet sit for a moment more, studying Mishka. "I'm curious as to why you wanted to meet me," he said, then. "I've considered speaking with you ever since you first met Sam. I was rather wary of scaring you off him, though." COYOTE “Mm.” If Mishka had met Pride before this, he... probably would’ve been interested, not scared off. But he probably would’ve shifted Sam over to something else in his brain, someone to cozy up to in order to gain favor with this demon. Maybe it would’ve been better that way. More detached. “I am curious,” Mishka admitted, “is all. Seeing as Goro and I and, possibly, others of our little gang might be helping you come into this world. Seems prudent to see what precisely I am assisting with.” IZZY "Mm, of course. Is that all?" COYOTE “Well... yes.” IZZY "Interesting," Aziz said. He straightened, letting his arm slip off the back of the lounge and lacing his fingers together, the gold bands a zigzagging pattern with one missing line. "You see, I wondered, from the start, exactly what it was you meant to do with Sam. You didn't know about me. But he's quite strong, isn't he? He would have made for a powerful ally without me in the equation." Aziz paused, studying Mishka. "I hope you realize," he said, "that if you hurt him -- contract be damned, I'll tear your soul apart." It came out like he was purposefully trying to sound calm, but his voice was a smooth beach hiding sharp, broken shells just underneath the surface. COYOTE Mishka narrowed his eyes briefly, his face showing no other emotion. He recalculated what, precisely, was going on here. He’d considered before that—perhaps—this demon was not actually particularly interested in Sam, and only wanted a way into the Mortal Plane, and it was only manipulating Sam. He trusted Sam’s judgment, but, well, they said demons were manipulative like that. So. This demon was threatening him now. That meant a two different things. First of all, it meant either the demon did love Sam—at least, it was possessive of him—and it didn’t trust Mishka. Or perhaps it was meant to seem genuine and convince Mishka that the demon really loved Sam. Genuine or fake. Either way… it meant the demon knew things about Mishka. It meant the demon knew Mishka was untrustworthy and frequently manipulated powerful people to gain their favor. “How do you know what’s going on in the mortal plane?” Mishka remarked. “Does Sam tell you? Or can you see anywhere you like?” IZZY "I have eyes everywhere," he said evenly. COYOTE "Have you been watching me?" IZZY "Now and then." COYOTE Well that was fucking worrying. How were they supposed to plot against him later if it turned out the demon was evil? "Can you see into other people's dreams?" Mishka asked curiously. "Y'know, like when they're using magic to dream at each other?" IZZY "What an interesting question," Aziz said, and didn't answer. COYOTE "Figures," Mishka said, amused. IZZY Aziz watched him. He tilted his head slightly. "I don't have any interest in hurting you, of course. As long as you continue to be good for him, I have no quarrel with you." COYOTE "Naturally. I suppose you would not actually care if I am manipulating him or not as long as the outcome is the same-- and I am kind to him and helpful." IZZY "No," Aziz said flatly. "Fuck with him and I'll kill you. Let me be very clear about that." COYOTE Mishka arranged himself a little more comfortably on the couch. He ignored the chills going down his spine and the hair standing up on the back of his neck. "You know, I am aware you are threatening me, but it's hard to take seriously, because honestly I am just delighted Sam has a partner who loves him enough to gruesomely murder me to protect his honor." IZZY "Charming," Aziz said. COYOTE "Y'know, I kind've wondered if you were fucking with him," Mishka remarked. "No?" IZZY "No. I love him." COYOTE "You can love someone and also fuck with them." IZZY He tilted his head. "Maybe I wasn't on your plane for long enough to learn that." COYOTE "How long were you on our plane?" Mishka asked. "Sam didn't say." IZZY "About seven years. All of it in Skyport. The underbelly." COYOTE That seemed short. The idea of a divine being coming to better the world was nice, but Mishka wondered, briefly, if the guy was qualified. Mishka leaned forward on his knees and regarded Aziz. "I admit, I expected you to be more alluring." IZZY "You expected me to be less lovely." He seemed amused. COYOTE "That's true, I did," Mishka said. "Y'know, when I was little, my mother used to read me little horror stories out've this little red book she had about all the awful creatures that I ought to never associate with. A demon, she said, was a primal, bestial creature who tempted poor, innocent mortal folk to ruin with deals and promises and lies. And yet here you are. A refined man, threatening to rip me asunder. Tis the exact opposite of what my dear mother suggested." IZZY "I wonder. What did that book have to say about orcs, or tieflings?" Aziz said thoughtfully, a little sarcastically. COYOTE Mishka smiled and said, "It said tieflings were good folk-- or could be, rather, sometimes-- but those with more demon blood were often violent and manipulative. And it said orcs would kill me on sight, because they hated all elves. There is a creation myth, you know, about elves. They say the god Corellon Larathien wanted to create the perfect species, so he took a tribe of humans and he removed all their flaws-- their ignorance, their hatred, their diseases-- and they became elves. But the ritual did not go as planned, and the impurity he removed took form as well and became orcs. "But those are stories," Mishka said. "I am more interested in seeing how people are in real life." IZZY "Indeed." He watched Mishka. "Would you say that you've seen a great deal of how people are, in real life? You have to admit, elves have a different perspective on it than tieflings, or orcs, or humans. A longer perspective." COYOTE "I suppose. I like to watch people," Mishka admitted. IZZY "So do I." He leaned back, lounging, and unlinked his fingers to stretch an arm out again. He tapped very precisely-manicured nails against the black lacquer. "I approached your friend Goro about helping me to repair your world." Taptaptap. "Perhaps your input could be useful, as well." Taptaptap. "And I suppose Sam would like having you nearby." COYOTE Mishka watched the demon. "Well, certainly I'd like to help. If I can be amusing to Sam." He said it a bit sarcastically, but it was oddly flattering that Sam might like him around, perhaps, maybe, when Pride inevitably took over the world. IZZY Aziz's gaze sharpened on Mishka again. "It's been a long time since anyone but me cared for him, and since he cared for anyone. I hope you realize the honor it is." COYOTE Mishka loosely held his arms around his legs. He gripped the opposite wrist for a moment, nails digging in. Felt the sharp bite of his nails breaking skin, then made himself stop. He tried to breathe out. He was gonna do something wrong. He was gonna hurt somebody. He always did. And as soon as he did, Pride would kill him, and then Hansel would be hurt, and then Hansel would try to kill Pride, and Pride would kill Hansel-- Mishka could already see the dominos lining up, ready to fall, all the ways that being nice to Sam could backfire and fail. Ought to just distance himself. Move away, like he always did. Working alone had never broken Sam; it suited him. Mishka broke lots of people just by being around them. "I don't want to hurt him," Mishka said. IZZY "Then don't," Aziz said, as if it were that easy. COYOTE "And what if it's an accident?" IZZY "Hope that he forgives you." COYOTE Ah. Right. That was... that was an option. No disasters, just-- mistakes and apologies. Maybe... maybe Mishka could do that. Mishka unfolded from the lounge. "I think I'm ready to wake up, thanks." IZZY "Would you like to see him, first? He's just downstairs." Aziz gestured, and the door swung open silently, leading onto a landing and a spiral staircase leading down. The pretty lyre music got louder, and another instrument could be heard playing alongside it -- a harpsichord. COYOTE Mishka blinked, perking up, then smoothed his face over and tried not to let his pleasure show. "Oh. That's Sam?" IZZY "Yes." COYOTE "Yes, I'd like to see him." Mishka glanced around. "D'you mind if I wander around at all? Get a tour? This place is so-- interesting. I'd like to look at it." IZZY Aziz stood languidly. "Feel free. We'll be downstairs." He turned for the stairs, disappearing quickly around the bend. The faint smell of sulfur drifted up once he'd gone. COYOTE Mishka waited until he was gone. He took a good look around the room. Padded out onto the balcony and looked up and down. He appeared to be inside a very tall tower of some sort, no palace visible beneath it. Interesting. Then he followed out to the staircase. IZZY The scent of sulfur was stronger there, but dissipating. The stairs twisted tightly, leading down what felt like more than a floor before reaching another landing. The lyre and harpsichord melody -- compelling, complex, dark -- grew louder, and once Mishka reached the landing, he came upon a large, open room with a small sitting area and a great many musical instruments arranged around it. Sam sat on one sofa, his hair braided back tidily from his face, eyes closed, looking relaxed and content as he leaned over his lyre, swaying with the song a little. At the harpsichord sat Pride. Unlike his small, disarming tiefling form, he was about seven feet tall, with long, curling horns reaching higher, midnight blue skin and fuzzy bat-like wings tucked neatly against his back. Like Sam, his eyes were closed. Gold claws, worn down to be discreet and rounded, stretched easily across the keys, and like he was adorned -- more ostentatiously than Aziz -- in delicate gold rings, bands, and chains, and wore a gold ring on every finger except the one. Neither of them looked up to acknowledge Mishka, if they realized he was there at all. COYOTE It felt like he was... intruding on a private moment, somehow. Mishka paused at the door. It was hard not to feel envious, standing there. Mishka rarely felt average or insignificant-- he was generally the prettiest and fanciest thing in the room, as well as the most interesting-- but standing here, watching this demon play the harpsichord with his powerful toy warlock-- Mishka felt very plain, and vaguely threatened. These people were more dangerous than him. He frowned. He didn't like that. Sam's hair was braided out of his face, Mishka noticed softly. Aziz must have done it. Mishka waited for a lull, then headed over to Sam. IZZY As the music came to a bittersweet end, the last notes reverberating through the harpsichord, Sam opened his eyes dreamily. He stared happily into space for a moment, then registered Mishka coming towards him out of the corner of his eye and straightened. He looked soft and rested. His clothes and hair were clean, the latter obviously combed with care before being twisted away, but some wild strands here and there springing out. There were a few familiar scars visible, fainter than they were in reality, as if they'd had more time to heal or just better care, and his beard was still scruffy, but a little more tame. He was himself, just a version of himself with someone else looking after him, gently convincing him to look after himself. He made a pleased sound when he saw Mishka, shifting his lyre off his lap and standing, taking a couple steps towards Mishka to meet him. "Hey." He sounded pleasantly sleepy. He moved like he was going to hug Mishka, but stopped himself quickly with an uncertain look. "I didn't know you were here yet." "We spoke upstairs," Pride said. His demon form's voice was a deep baritone, soft and low. "Oh," Sam said. He glanced between the two of them, nervously. Gently, Pride said, "I like him," and Sam visibly relaxed, and reached out to touch Mishka's wrist briefly and tilt his head towards the couch. COYOTE Mishka ducked slightly away from the hug, but didn’t shy away from the touch on his wrist. Sam looked... comfortable like this. And happy, and relaxed, which were not things Sam was in the real world. It looked— nice, and Mishka understood, immediately, why Sam wanted this all the time in the waking world. He thought about Hansel again and his heart ached. “He doesn’t trust me. Which is fair, “ Mishka said, amused. “I like him.” He moved towards the couch. IZZY Sam grinned a little, tentatively, glancing between the two of them. He shifted his lyre so that Mishka could sit, but stayed up himself as Pride gracefully got to his own feet -- hooves, rather -- and clicked over to them. Each step was quiet, but there was an echo behind it. Pride touched Sam's cheek -- Sam leaning into the touch, looking up at him with lidded eyes -- and bent to tap their foreheads together for a moment. "Shall I let you talk in private?" he asked gently. Sam looked to Mishka for his opinion, admitting, "I'm leaving Patch Island soon. I don't know when we'll see each other again." COYOTE It was lovely, the way Sam leaned into Pride’s touch, and it reminded him, faintly, of the way Hansel leaned into him. Mishka waved off the offer of privacy. He didn’t think there was a need for it, and wanted to see more of Pride while he was able. “That’s fine,” he said comfortably to Sam. He reclined on the couch but left room for Sam to sit if he so desired. He didn’t want to deprive Sam of Pride’s company if Sam would rather sit with Pride instead. “We know how to find each other now— or we can just run into each other when it’s convenient. Does that bother you?” IZZY Sam sat next to Mishka, leaving space between them, and glanced at Pride, who smiled slightly and lowered himself onto the opposite sofa. Sam seemed reassured and, to Mishka, shook his head. "I can leave a message for you at your friend's guild," he said. "When I'm back around Skyport. We still need to get some things ready, but -- it'll be soon, I think." He looked at Pride again, with restrained excitement. "I, ah --." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a smooth lapis lazuli stone inscribed with a sigil that looked like a grinning mouth full of razorblade teeth. He held it up so Mishka could see. "I gave Goro one of these. It's a Sending Stone. I'll use it to get in touch with him when we're ready." Another eager glance at Pride. "Until then, though, you can have him pass messages along to me, if you want. And if you need my help with something," he added. COYOTE “I’ll consider that.” Mishka didn’t think he needed Sam’s help with anything, but— maybe. Maybe. They needed to get Hansel free of Gruumsh, and they needed to destroy the Church of Bane, and Sam was already helping with one of those things. Mishka curiously reached out to try and touch Sam and pull Sam back against him to see if that’d work. His eyes flickered to Pride to see how Pride would react to that. The demon seemed possessive before. IZZY Sam settled against him quite contentedly, shifting to get comfortable. Pride only gave a mild smile, seeming pleased. COYOTE Mishka curled his arm around Sam somewhat hesitantly. It was definitely... weird, and new, with Sam. It felt— not easy, but good. It helped to know that the thing Sam wanted from him was just some form of emotional intimacy, and maybe... closeness, sometimes. There was still a frightened thrumming in his chest— what if, what if, what if— but it was slowly getting quieter. It made Mishka realize he wanted this very badly— wanted to be around people, and touch them, and be close to them. He wanted it to be easy. And it wasn’t. Maybe it’d never be. But it was getting easier. With Sam. His own private experiment he didn’t have to share with anyone or show anyone. Two skittish people with boundary issues getting used to each other, being careful with each other, allowed to go slow and private as they liked. It made Mishka realize he needed something very badly from Sam. He needed— this. Sam needed something from him back and wanted him around. And— if something happened to Sam, Mishka wasn’t sure, precisely, what he would do. If the demon turned out to be evil and they had to turn against him. Mishka settled his face in Sam’s hair and breathed, eyes drifting shut. “This is pretty,” he said, voice a little muffled. “Aziz did this?” IZZY Slowly, pausing at first, Sam looped his arm around Mishka in turn. He nodded happily. "Mm." COYOTE Mishka shifted a little, pressing very slightly into Sam’s arm. He cracked his eyes open to eye the demon, then decided the demon was no threat, then shut his eyes again. If this was a trap, he decided, it was a very good one, and one Mishka didn’t particularly mind falling into. He was willing to make mistakes. “D’you know I can teleport?” Mishka asked, cozy and content. IZZY "You did that in the woods," Sam reminded him. "Good trick." He carefully started tracing his fingers up and down over Mishka's shoulder, testing it out. COYOTE Mishka shivered a little. He enjoyed that— maybe a little too much. Felt overstimulating. He let Sam keeping doing it, though, letting it ride on the knife’s edge of almost too much. He found himself leaning into it. “No, I mean, I can teleport... far away,” Mishka said. “Using circles. I can draw my own, I mean. So it won’t be that hard to come find you if I need to.” IZZY "Oh. Hm." He mulled it over. "That's handy. As long as I'm somewhere near a circle. There's not as many up north, where I'm heading." COYOTE “Oh? Why are you going north?” Mishka played with a strand of Sam’s hair, still keeping a wary eye on the demon. IZZY Pride didn't look away from them -- possibly, he didn't even blink -- but it was with a fixed gentle expression. A slight curve of a smile. Appreciative; maybe a touch amused. Sam tilted his head a little, more of his braid slipping closer to Mishka's fingers. "There's an artifact we need from the Church of Helm, but there's another one, too. We managed to track it down to the frozen tundra, up on the northeast coast. I can get it myself," he said, like it was a foregone conclusion that he was just letting Mishka know about. COYOTE Demon still seemed fine. Everything seemed good. Sam seemed relaxed. Mishka stroked Sam’s hair carefully without mussing it, which he knew how to do, given he had long and braided hair himself. Mishka kissed Sam’s head indulgently. “I’m certain you can,” he offered. Still freaky to realize these people were stronger than him. Good and okay, but... freaky. “Good luck. I’ll be away on business a while as well. We’re handling some business at sea. Something about the ice bitch goddess Auril. I’ll tell you about it once we’re done, I suppose.” IZZY Sam tensed and shifted a little at the kiss, but settled again easily. "Yeah," he said quietly, pleased. "Meet up. Tell stories. That's ... good. I like that." COYOTE He noticed the way Sam tensed at the brief kiss and figured he probably shouldn’t do that again. Mishka let himself doze for a moment. This kept feeling good, so he figured maybe he could try a step farther. He nudged Sam. “Pet my hair and braid it,” he demanded to see if that’d work. IZZY Sam looked amused. "It's already braided. You want me to unbraid it and braid it again?" COYOTE Mishka pulled the tie out of his hair and wrapped it around his wrist, then vigorously scrubbed his fingers through his hair to loosen it. Then he said, “See? It’s not braided.” IZZY He kept looking amused, glancing at Pride with mild bemusement. Pride tilted his head a little, indulgently, and Sam shifted to start lacing his fingers through Mishka's hair, a bit uncertainly at first. "You've seen what my hair looks like in the real world," he said. "I'm not good at braiding." "You're better here," Pride commented. "Nissa remembers how." Sam made a thoughtful sound. He started winding Mishka's hair into a complicated braid. COYOTE Nissa remembers how. One of Sam's past lives? Mishka settled in, pleased by the touch. Sam's hands were a little uncertain, but steady, as if trying something out that he hadn't done in a very long time. "It's easier to remember your past lives here?" Mishka guessed. IZZY "Yeah," Sam said, a little absently, focusing on his work. "I can remember the last two. After we met." COYOTE "Mmm. When you wake up, will you remember what's happening right now clearly?" Will I? Mishka wondered. IZZY "Not really," he admitted. "The way you remember most dreams. Just ... sort of vaguely." COYOTE "Will I remember everything clearly?" Mishka asked, puzzled. IZZY Sam said, "Yeah," then glanced at Pride. The demon filled in, "Sakincha forgets because he's here so often. Have you ever been awake for such a very long that your memory began to fail you, or your mind began to play tricks?" He tilted his head as if curious, but the question seemed rhetorical; he carried on. "He needs to be sharp, in the waking world, where there's danger. I try to ... curate his memories. Give his mind less to focus on, more rest. Preserve only the things that are most important." A shadow passed over his face at that last part, like it pained him. COYOTE Huh. Mishka watched the demon's face carefully. He kept trying to tell if the demon really loved Sam or didn't. He supposed they'd only find out once the demon was released onto the mortal plane. If the demon didn't love Sam, he was doing a very good approximation. He wanted to think it was true. He really did. end COYOTE Title: Mishka, Pride, and Sam (Mishka Meets Pride) Summary: A fluffy chat scene with Sam and Mishka. Sam knows Mishka is working with Goro; Mishka knows Pride is Sam's warlock patron; everything is out in the open. Mishka meets Pride later that night. Pride, knowing Mishka's tendency to manipulate powerful allies, threatens to kill Mishka if he fucks with Sam. Category:Text Roleplay